EMBER

TRAITORS

I stare at my red curls as the words Karim said run over and over in my mind.

The still pond reflects me back.

My eyes are more vibrant, a liquid grey. The hair on my head almost looks like it's pulsating. Like a tiny heartbeat.

I feel powerful and scary enough to do exactly what Karim said I can. I feel destructive. And the weird thing is a part of me likes it.

Aren't angels supposed to be good? Aren't warrior angels supposed to be protectors? To fight evil?

Am not even one. Am a teenager. A sixteen year old orphan with a dark sister, dark brother, Fae aunt, even in my family am a weirdo. And all I know am light. But origin unknown.

My reflection frowns at me. I feel the sudden urge to punch something. I slap my hand on my reflection distorting it.

I voluntarily decided to lose my memories, hoping I'll run away from this, hoping I would get to have a normal life. I guess that's overrated for me.

I feel selfish. Selfish for wanting to abandon Temi and Jake, the family I have left. Because they are part of the difficult life am living. A constant reminder.

I feel selfish that I want to go back to the normal life I had six months. The peace and friends.

But it was never real. Those people are not my parents. My parents are gone. They were my parents best friends so they were the logical choice to take me.

Am I justified to want a life that is normal? No pain? No questions? No danger? Love?

I bring my knees up to my chest and wrap my hands around myself. I rock back and forth. I can't cry again. I just can't. So I keep rocking. It helps. I close my eyes.

I must have fallen asleep or I was so out of tune with my surroundings until a gentle hand falls on my shoulder and jolts me awake.

A blanket falls on my shoulders lightly as I look up meeting Karim's soft brown concerned eyes.

He just sits down next to me on the soft grass by the still pond and passes me a bowl full of an assortment of berries with no words.

Somehow he always knows how to take care of me and what I need.

My stomach rumbles in anticipation. A bird chirps near by and a small frog leaps into the pond creating ripples.

It's evening. Twilight is almost approaching. Signifying the end of another day.

We sit in comfortable silence me eating my berries. We don't talk about how he knows the things he said or the impending meeting to discuss him and what's wrong with him tomorrow night.

All berries I can name and others I can't are all there. A mixture of dark and bright colors.

They are lightly dusted with some sugary powder making them juicier.

They are so good. I finish them in record time even if the bowl was huge and watch the frogs and fish in the small pond as the sun starts to sink.

I burp loudly leaning my head against him as exhaustion sets in. He smiles more like chuckles loudly but he doesn't look at me.

He just leans lightly against my now red mane. A thought crosses me. I dragged him into this mess.

"Am sorry I dragged you into this mess. I shouldn't have called you that night."
He stays silent until I feel maybe he must have fallen asleep sitting there.

"It was the best choice you ever made. I regret nothing. Your problems, my problems."
It sounds like him but the same time it doesn't. I peek up at him.